9 Moscow restaurants awarded Michelin stars in a first for Russia
Image: Sakhalin restaurant via TripAdvisor
15 October 2021
Text:
Lucía de la Torre
Nine Moscow restaurants have become the first in Russia to be awarded Michelin stars.
Artest and Twins Garden both received two of the gastronomic accolades in a dedicated private ceremony. Seven other Moscow eateries — Selfie, Beluga, Grand Cru, White Rabbit, Biologie, Sakhalin, and Savva — were awarded one star. No Russian restaurant has yet received Michelin’s highest honour of three stars.
Twins Garden — founded by identical twins Ivan and Sergei — prides itself in offering “a symbiosis of science and nature” in its dishes, sourcing its ingredients from its own farm. Meanwhile Artest, founded by chef Arkady Novikov, who already owns dozens of restaurants in Moscow and abroad, focuses on Russian cuisine and traditional techniques such as fermentation.
A number of other venues to make the list also focus on recreating traditional Russian cuisine with a luxurious modern twist. Selfie prides itself on stocking products from 15 Russian regions — including halibut from Murmansk, asparagus from Tver, and veal from Bryansk — and serving only seasonal products. Likewise, Biologie, located in the leafy Moscow suburb of Ilikskoye, places the emphasis on sustainability: its interiors are decorated with vintage and recycled furniture, while buyers work to keep supply chains as short as possible.
Savva, which also received one star, is located inside Moscow’s ornate Metropol Hotel, a stone’s throw away from the Bolshoi Theatre. While its interiors featuring a luxurious painted ceiling and colossal red marble column, its prices are more modest, and the restaurant offers a buffet breakfast for just 2,000 rubles (approximately £25).
The accolades come alongside the publication of the first Michelin gastronomic guide to Moscow, which lists 69 restaurants from across the Russian capital.
Published since 1900, the Michelin Guide is considered one of the most influential restaurant ratings in the world, where venues are rated from zero to three stars. While the skill of individual chefs and consistent quality provide the basis of each rating, price and luxury are not (always) taken into account, and some street food stalls even famously feature in guides for countries such as Singapore.
